I used mine for the first time the other day. It is such a cute brush and I am proud to say I now own a Simpson. However it is so small I will mostly use it as a travel brush.
Toy or Serious Brush: A Consideration of the Wee Scot
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Oh. mi. gawd.
That has got to be the coolest pic in the history of B&B. Love it.
Been using my Wee Scot daily while traveling. Product has included QCS cream/soap and T&H cream (the sample pack is great for traveling). I have decided the best technique for me is to build my lather in my hand rather than directly on my face. With larger brushes, face lathering for me is more of a wrist movement. But the WS requires me to move my whole arm all over the place. Building in the hand requires only wrist movement, making the process easier. And hand lathering helps with this problem of controlling all of the lather that some have mentioned. I build lather, apply to face, scrubbing as much or as little as I like, then add what's left in the hand to the brush. Or build in the hand and apply the "extra" in my hand directly to my face, then scrub it a bit.
Works great for me. However, for my next trip I'd like to get a Major in Super to see how it compares.
I should also add, hand lathering won't give you hairy palms...
Works great for me. However, for my next trip I'd like to get a Major in Super to see how it compares.
I should also add, hand lathering won't give you hairy palms...
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But, should you have hairy palms, it makes shaving them easier.
This morning I used the WS on some Floris 89 soap (new, non-tallow) I just picked up at a local shop. The Wee cranked out some fantastic lather, and I had some left over after my routine 3-pass shave with touch ups. I'm impressed with both the Wee Scot and the new formulation Floris 89 soap.
Sorry to have to use your post as an example, but it's a good one
.I read many posts about the WS producing enough lather for 3, 4, 5+ passes "with leftover for touchups". Most of these posts don't say where they created the lather. If you bowl lather, any brush will produce as much soap as you choose to fill the bowl with. Any brush.
A big problem with the Wee Scot for me (and surely many like me) is that I'm exclusively a face latherer. I do all my lather building and scrubbing on my face before I shave my first pass. Once my first pass is over, or to be blunt, once I have dragged a sharp metal blade all over my face, I do not want to go back to using my face for a mixing board. All my lather applications after my main first pass come from gentle paint brush strokes from the balance of the lather my brush is still holding.
While I felt the Wee Scot (yes, I have owned and shaved with one) was precise and quite ample for my first pass, I could not trust that I would have adequate lather quantity for extra passes. For reasons I listed above, I don't want to be faced with building new lather on my face. I could build new lather in my hand, but why have to do that when a little larger brush like the Berkeley holds pretty much all I need. If I try to "overbuild" in my initial face lather build, then I have a large glop of lather where a wee brush lives somewhere inside. It's all over my hands, the countertop, the brush falls over, etc.
Nice little brush that I suppose is a good little traveler if you want to make your lather up in a plastic motel drinking cup. Doesn't save that much more room in your sh**kit than a 46 or X1 but may dry a little quicker. For my simple shaving needs and methods, there is no reason to want or try to work a Wee Scot into any kind of regular rotation. Never mind the fingertip grip.
To follow up on the last post, and clarify my previous positive feedback on the WS, I exclusively face lather. For me, I find the Wee Scot to be able to store ample lather for 3 quality passes (please note I do not shave my chin or upper lip though). That said, the handle size is a point of concern.
Why would I change my methods and my perfectly adequate hardware to try and accommodate something that in my eyes has some fairly significant limitations. The Wee Scot is a very interesting object to discuss because even with its high praise among its legions of fans, that praise more often than not comes with some sort of qualifying statement.Sounds to me like you make a good case for bowl lathering over face lathering.
I am in no way bashing the Wee Scot. I just think there are others out there that can do what it does a little better. Many, many are owned, but after the honeymoon most seem to live on the back burner for any number of personal reasons.
Oh, no argument. My WS has been sitting on a medicine cabinet shelf for months. But I'll be keeping it around.
I understand your sentiment, but I doubt that "most" who own them feel this way. I face lather almost exclusively. I do two passes (XTG, ATG) with a touch up. The Wee Scot is one of four brushes that I use regularly. I use a Simpson Eagle the most, followed by a Semogue SOC then the WS. I get more lather with my Eagle, but nearly the same amount as when using an SOC boar or a larger Vulfix badger. I have average sized hands and don't have issues with gripping the WS. I bought it for travel use but find myself reaching for it once or twice a week while at home. I don't find it a novelty. That said, any brush optimized for travel will necessarily have some qualifications. To be an "ideal" travel brush, it must be compact enough to store easily and dry quickly while generative enough quality lather to permit an excellent shave. If this is its mission, the Wee Scot clearly succeeds. It isn't meant to be either someone's every day or only brush, but it isn't meant to be a novelty or a toy either. I find it to be a tool that performs exactly how it was designed to.
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what praised shaving product doesn't come with a qualifying statement? i know of none...
I'm not sure what you're referring to here. The only time I used most was when I said that most Wee Scots purchased are soon relegated to the back burner. From reading tens of thousands of posts on B&B (most not about the Wee Scot, but that underlines my point), I truly believe that most Wee Scots owned are well liked, but spend almost all their time helping hold the shelf down.
There's no way we could ever get numbers, but I'd bet good money that anyone who shaves with one in a rotation twice a week as you might is in a very small minority.
I'm not sure what you're referring to here. The only time I used most was when I said that most Wee Scots purchased are soon relegated to the back burner. From reading tens of thousands of posts on B&B (most not about the Wee Scot, but that underlines my point), I truly believe that most Wee Scots owned are well liked, but spend almost all their time helping hold the shelf down.There's no way we could ever get numbers, but I'd bet good money that anyone who shaves with one in a rotation twice a week as you might is in a very small minority.
I really like my Wee Scot but except for travel and an occasional use at home, it is far from the most convenient brush for me. Great for travel and I can get 3+ passes out of it when using a shave stick. But for regular use, with my large hands, it isn't the best brush for me.
YMMV
My personal opinion about the brush - if this was designed to be a travel brush, then it accomplishes that goal admirably. For me, a travel brush should be compact, dry easily, and still be able to get the job done. The WS satisfies these requirements. The brush is dramatically different in size than the other brushes in my rotation. Given the difference in size, I expect to require a difference in technique. If I had to go back to the soap dish or add more cream and build more lather on my face for my third pass or touch ups, I would not like this brush. Hence building lather in the hand. I, too, like to paint my second and third pass lather on, rather than re-scrubbing. And using the WS this way, I do.
All of this being said, I might find the Case or the Major to be better travel brushes for me. They would certainly take up more room in my dopp kit, though. I bought a Wee Scot instead, and I make it work for me.
My personal opinion about the brush - if this was designed to be a travel brush, then it accomplishes that goal admirably. For me, a travel brush should be compact, dry easily, and still be able to get the job done. The WS satisfies these requirements. The brush is dramatically different in size than the other brushes in my rotation. Given the difference in size, I expect to require a difference in technique. If I had to go back to the soap dish or add more cream and build more lather on my face for my third pass or touch ups, I would not like this brush. Hence building lather in the hand. I, too, like to paint my second and third pass lather on, rather than re-scrubbing. And using the WS this way, I do.
All of this being said, I might find the Case or the Major to be better travel brushes for me. They would certainly take up more room in my dopp kit, though. I bought a Wee Scot instead, and I make it work for me.
P
Pjotr
Using a stick (my preferred method) the Wee Scot holds enough for an additional two passes. The first pass is on your face already. Also I used it to load it from a bowl with Valobra Menthol soft soap and again, provided you load it properly, the brush holds enough for a three pass shave.
The Wee Scott is well-loved in my family. Mine sees regular use, and it is the only brush my father uses (he saw it and wanted to have one for his birthday)
It's certainly not a toy.
It's certainly not a toy.
About a month ago, Bob asked a handful of us to give our opinions of this brush and it has generated quite a few interesting opinions and, at times, some friendly but heated debate. Although I use this brush fairly often, since this thread began, I've used the Wee Scot more frequently, and in different ways, than I had ever before. I've used it enough times for me to make a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the brush. I've posted a couple of comments on this thread and will try not to repeat myself. I wanted to make a final assessment of this brush and answer the question posed. "Is it a toy or a serious brush"? Finally, would I recommend it to someone looking to buy a brush?
Going back through my old posts, I was able to count how often I actually shaved with the Wee Scot. Prior to the past month, which skews heavily towards the WS, I had used it for 25 out of 130 shaves. Of those 25, there were probability 10 to 15 days of travel, which means that on those days I don't travel, I choose to shave with the Wee Scot about once a week.
My first instinct was to compare the brush to the two brushes that I use more often. I use a Simpson Eagle G3 in Best most often, followed by a Semogue SOC boar. These are obviously much larger brushes. I almost exclusively face lather soaps and both brushes are great at the task. They are relatively wide, short brushes with stiff backbones which show no mercy on whatever puck of soap happens to get in their way. When stacked against either, the Wee Scot lags behind when up against a puck of soap. As much as I love my MWF, Tabac, Cade and AoS, I also enjoy Arko, Palmolive and Speick shave sticks. When face lathering from a shave stick, the Wee Scot generates every bit as much lather as the Eagle, and is easier to control than the, at times, unwieldy SOC. A few weeks ago, I did break out some TOBS shave cream and gave the Wee Scot a go. While I got an acceptable shave and generated more than enough lather in my scuttle, I would be dishonest if I said this is something I would want to do on a daily basis. A longer, less dense brush would be better suited. In fact, one of my older Vulfix brushes is better suited for this than either the Eagle or SOC as well.
This leads me to my final thoughts on the Wee Scot. Could I pick a single brush to use every day in every situation ?(Impossible to imagine such a ludicrous idea I know, but bear with me here). Even the favorite of all my brushes, the Simpson Eagle, would fall short. It isn't a great travel brush as it is so dense that it takes a couple of days to dry completely. Less expensive, floppier, longer brushes are better for bowl lathering creams. My point is, every brush has its limitations. Which gets to the heart of the matter with the Wee Scot. Out of the brushes I have, none do what they were designed to do better than it does. I could replace my beloved Eagle with a Chubby, a Rooney 3/1 or a Shavemac D01 and have a brush that excel at face lathering pucks of soap. To replace the Wee Scot would require more of a compromise. Whereas something like a Case or Berkeley are decent brushes and, were I to own only one brush, may be a better candidate for that job, I find the Wee Scot exactly suited for the task it was designed for; It is built to be the ideal travel brush for all that entails. It makes outstanding lather when face lathering a shave stick, dries quickly and fits well in the metal containers designed nearly 100 years ago for brushes and shave sticks. In this example, the Case and Berkeley seem to me to be a compromise. I don't find them as large as I like for face lathering pucks of soap, but too large for my ideal travel brush.
Who would I recommend it to? To those who frequently travel, especially if you fly often, it can be an indispensable part of your travel kit. It allows me the pleasure of a good shave while away from home and I enjoy it enough to break it out occasionally when not traveling. Further, it offers something unique to brush collectors. You may have 20 brushes, but the Wee Scot is so different that you're unlikely to have something quite like it. Also, anyone who primarily uses a shave stick. Who isn't it for? As someone who likes the brush, even I couldn't see it as a first or only brush. Unfortunately, someone looking for a first/only brush probably doesn't even know yet whether they will face, bowl or palm lather nor if they will prefer soaps or creams. I don't have the answer for which brush would be the right one, but I feel confident that this isn't it.
In summary, the Wee Scot is definitely not a toy. It is a tool that excels at it's primary function (and isn't that we expect from all our tools?) and is sold at a very reasonable price.
Going back through my old posts, I was able to count how often I actually shaved with the Wee Scot. Prior to the past month, which skews heavily towards the WS, I had used it for 25 out of 130 shaves. Of those 25, there were probability 10 to 15 days of travel, which means that on those days I don't travel, I choose to shave with the Wee Scot about once a week.
My first instinct was to compare the brush to the two brushes that I use more often. I use a Simpson Eagle G3 in Best most often, followed by a Semogue SOC boar. These are obviously much larger brushes. I almost exclusively face lather soaps and both brushes are great at the task. They are relatively wide, short brushes with stiff backbones which show no mercy on whatever puck of soap happens to get in their way. When stacked against either, the Wee Scot lags behind when up against a puck of soap. As much as I love my MWF, Tabac, Cade and AoS, I also enjoy Arko, Palmolive and Speick shave sticks. When face lathering from a shave stick, the Wee Scot generates every bit as much lather as the Eagle, and is easier to control than the, at times, unwieldy SOC. A few weeks ago, I did break out some TOBS shave cream and gave the Wee Scot a go. While I got an acceptable shave and generated more than enough lather in my scuttle, I would be dishonest if I said this is something I would want to do on a daily basis. A longer, less dense brush would be better suited. In fact, one of my older Vulfix brushes is better suited for this than either the Eagle or SOC as well.
This leads me to my final thoughts on the Wee Scot. Could I pick a single brush to use every day in every situation ?(Impossible to imagine such a ludicrous idea I know, but bear with me here). Even the favorite of all my brushes, the Simpson Eagle, would fall short. It isn't a great travel brush as it is so dense that it takes a couple of days to dry completely. Less expensive, floppier, longer brushes are better for bowl lathering creams. My point is, every brush has its limitations. Which gets to the heart of the matter with the Wee Scot. Out of the brushes I have, none do what they were designed to do better than it does. I could replace my beloved Eagle with a Chubby, a Rooney 3/1 or a Shavemac D01 and have a brush that excel at face lathering pucks of soap. To replace the Wee Scot would require more of a compromise. Whereas something like a Case or Berkeley are decent brushes and, were I to own only one brush, may be a better candidate for that job, I find the Wee Scot exactly suited for the task it was designed for; It is built to be the ideal travel brush for all that entails. It makes outstanding lather when face lathering a shave stick, dries quickly and fits well in the metal containers designed nearly 100 years ago for brushes and shave sticks. In this example, the Case and Berkeley seem to me to be a compromise. I don't find them as large as I like for face lathering pucks of soap, but too large for my ideal travel brush.
Who would I recommend it to? To those who frequently travel, especially if you fly often, it can be an indispensable part of your travel kit. It allows me the pleasure of a good shave while away from home and I enjoy it enough to break it out occasionally when not traveling. Further, it offers something unique to brush collectors. You may have 20 brushes, but the Wee Scot is so different that you're unlikely to have something quite like it. Also, anyone who primarily uses a shave stick. Who isn't it for? As someone who likes the brush, even I couldn't see it as a first or only brush. Unfortunately, someone looking for a first/only brush probably doesn't even know yet whether they will face, bowl or palm lather nor if they will prefer soaps or creams. I don't have the answer for which brush would be the right one, but I feel confident that this isn't it.
In summary, the Wee Scot is definitely not a toy. It is a tool that excels at it's primary function (and isn't that we expect from all our tools?) and is sold at a very reasonable price.
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Thanks for an excellent, even handed post. I've read this thread with interest from the beginning, and I think I have a very good idea what using the Wee Scot means.
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